She looks like an angel
by mlife2020
Summary: An alternate universe story in which Zack's search for Max after the 09 escape yields some unexpected results. chapter 5 Max's POV. NOW COMPLETE please R/R
1. Default Chapter

Title: She looks like an angel  
  
Pairing: M/Z  
  
Summary: This is an alternate universe fiction that uses spoilers from episodes "What the 411 on the DL" and "Cold Comfort." This first chapter is mostly about Zack's thoughts and feelings during his search for the other X5s leading up to when he finally finds Max.  
  
Disclaimer: Dark Angel's characters and concepts don't belong to me.  
  
Zack's POV  
  
"She looks like an angel." I hadn't realized I whispered those words aloud the first time I saw Max after the escape. She was on her bicycle talking and laughing with a girl in front of some delivery place called Jam Pony. My eyes were immediately drawn to her but I still wasn't sure if it was really her, but at that moment she looked in my direction with a beautiful smile still claiming her full lips. The sun was behind her, making her dark hair glow while the wind played with it. She looked like an angel. It was the smile that first told me that the beautiful girl across the street was Max. Then I saw her eyes, those large, brown eyes that could get me to do whatever she wanted when we were kids, and I knew without a doubt that I had found her.  
  
I had dreamt about this moment nearly every night after we first escaped. I was the C.O. of all the X5. They were all my responsibility. Of course, I wanted to find them all in order to look after them. But I never dreamed about finding the others. My dreams were only of Max. At first it was hard. The world was in chaos because of the pulse which made it all the more easy for us to disappear consequently it made it harder for me to locate everyone. It took me a whole year to find Zane and Thad. They had only made to just outside of Wyoming. Thad seizures were too severe for them to be able to travel too far. Even though they were practically right under Lydecker's nose, they managed to cover their tracks well and remain under the radar. I had no idea who had made it out and decided to risk going back to the Gillette area to see if I could find anyone from Manticore that could help. It was a stupid idea. I know. Luckily I bumped into Zane before I made it all the way back Six months after I escaped I had a pretty bad seizure and a nurse happened along. Because of the state of the world, it was easy to believe that an eleven year kid could be out on his own so she didn't question that. She also knew that no one was going to offer me health care either so instead she told me about tryptophan. She said it wasn't too hard to come by. It was sold in health food stores as an energy boost. It's also in milk. Most importantly, she told me it was sometimes used in homeopathy to control seizures. Bingo. Seizures terrified us in Manticore because it meant being carried away and dissected. I never thought what would happen to us once we started having them on the outside. Surely that would send up some red flags if one of us was sent to the hospital because of one. Of course all of us knew better than to check ourselves into a hospital if we had a seizure but sometimes they were so damn sudden and debilitating, that if they happened out in public we wouldn't be able to stop anyone from calling an ambulance and taking us to a hospital. I always carried a few bottles around with me for the exact purpose of handing them off to the other X5s once I came in contact with them. After a short reunion, I relocated Zane and Thad further from Wyoming. I then ordered them to split up. While traveling with them I had already come up with the plan to have a contact number for them to reach me should anything go wrong. It was hard for me to say goodbye to them; probably even harder for them to depart from each other after a year of being together and looking out for each other in this strange new world. But it had to be done. For the safety of all of us, it had to be done. So I set out again, alone, looking for the rest of us.  
  
Hospitals and police stations were my main focus. The extensive military training we received from birth came in handy in the post pulse world for lives as petty criminals. We were good, but even I had gotten caught and arrested, so police records were as good a place as any to search for the others.  
  
I found Ben and Domi next. I was thankful that I had split them in pairs when we escaped and that they remained together the whole time. But it didn't make it easier to deal with their complaints and protests when I told them they had to split up. After three years I located ten of them. Jondy was the last one I found. To this day I'm not sure if I truly believed only eleven of us made it out or if it was what Jondy had told me that made me stop searching. I had paired Jondy and Max together, so when I came across the twelve year old girl beating the crap out of three teenage boys, I was ecstatic to recognize that it was Jondy. Yes, I was happy to see Jondy, but not too deep down I was elated because I figured if this is Jondy than Max isn't too far behind. After quickly disposing of the three punks who had tried to jump her, Jondy took me back to where she had been staying. It wasn't much different from where the others had set up camp. She lived in a building with several other squatters. It was dank and dirty but we were no strangers to hard times and discomforts. It was there that she told me about what happened to Max the night of the escape.  
  
"She fell through the ice. I called out to her but they were coming. There was no time…nothing I could do."  
  
Looking at her while she told me this, I didn't see the face of a soldier I had trained with most of my life, I saw the face of a little girl who had lost her best friend and had been plagued with that memory for over three years. Inside my stomach was churning and my brain was spinning with the knowledge that Max was possibly lost forever. It was so unfair. Everything had been in vain. The whole reason I made us leave when we did was out of fear for what they would do to Max because of her seizures. My whole point of spending every day since the escape searching all over this broken country was to find Max and make sure she was okay. But it had all been for naught. I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch something…someone. I wanted to cry.  
  
But I wouldn't. I was still the C.O. As I watched the tears spill down Jondy's face, I knew she needed me to be strong right now. I placed a clumsy hand on Jondy's shoulder and spoke words I didn't believe myself.  
  
"Max is strong. She was second in command. If anybody could have gotten out okay, it was her. I'm sure she got out and I'll find her."  
  
We left that next morning for a new location. I gave Jondy the contact number and an awkward hug goodbye. But for the first time since I had escaped, I had absolutely no plan of action. Max was either dead or back at Manticore. What was the point of continuing the search? I told myself this for three months, but finally I decided to believe in the words I had told Jondy. It was possible that Max was still out there. So I decided to make that my new mission: finding Max.  
  
AN: Okay now that the background information is out of the way, the plot of the story can actually begin. Please R/R even though you probably have no idea where I'm going with this story. 


	2. First Encounters

First Encounters  
  
For six years I searched for Max and always came up empty handed. But then one day I saw something that made my heart jump into my throat. I had just finished checking in on Tinga in Portland and I was making me way up to Mt Vernon to see Ked. I had planned on ditching the car I drove while in Oregon for a motorcycle so I was reading the classifieds in a diner just outside Seattle when I saw  
  
332960073452 meet Yesler and Viaduct at 9:00pm.  
  
Max's barcode was in the paper for the whole world to see. I stared at it for several more minutes making sure I wasn't hallucinating. But it was still there in black and white. Max was alive! My whole body was humming with excitement, but I would not lose control. I was a soldier first and foremost. And I wasn't going to chase down this lead with my head up my butt. I still had to play things with caution and precision.  
  
It was really just dumb luck that landed me outside of Jam Pony the same time Max was. I had gone to Yesler and Viaduct the past two nights and she hadn't shone. I wanted nothing more than to go over to Max and tell her who I was but I knew that would be foolish. Her barcode being in the paper was like a flare shot to Lydecker. He would be all over this if he knew. So I decided to play it safe by getting a job at the place Max worked in order to keep an eye on her and find out who had ran that ad. It was that night that Max had finally met with the man who ran the ad. Volgesang, some small time private investigator. This idiot had already experienced what Manticore was capable of, but that didn't stop him from running an ad in the paper that basically gave Lydecker an invitation complete with direction cards to find Max. I made up my mind that night to eliminate him. He was far too big of a threat.  
  
When I came face to face with her as 'Sam' the next day, Max had not only further stunned me with her beauty but also with her quick wit and tough attitude. But underneath it all, I could still see Maxie, the little solider-girl who would climb into my cot at Manticore after she had a nightmare during the rare times she did sleep. I suppose I could have just told her right then and there who I was and we could have left Seattle together, but I wanted to take care of the Volgesang character first. When that was done I fully intended on finding Max and explaining everything to her, but she found me first. My first instinct upon seeing an intruder rifling through my things was to attack, thankfully I heard her muffled voice say "Zack, it's me." Before I could do any serious damage.  
  
For some reason, Max flinging herself into my arms stilled me. Over the years, when I dreamed of this encounter, this was the exact reaction I had hoped for. But when it finally came to fruition I wasn't ready. I hadn't made any friends all my years on the run. Even when I parted with my fellow X5s, we did so with either a wave or a handshake. Hugs were few and far between for me. So the only thing I could feel, when Max pressed her body up against mine, was awkward. But the moment after I remembered the mechanics of a hug and placed my hands against her back, the sound of humvees interrupted.  
  
"Lydecker."  
  
We had worked and fought well together as kids and that night was just like old times. In an instant, the rhythm we always had when working with one another came back. It almost felt like the battle ended too quickly. But another battle began right after that would change my life forever.  
  
"I can get us to San Francisco, and we'll split up there."  
  
"Split up? What are you talking about?"  
  
"We can't stay together, Max." I had searched for her for ten years. Everything I had done my entire life had been for her. But I knew we couldn't stay together. I was the C.O. I had to put everyone else's needs before my own. "It will compromise everyone's safety."  
  
"You know where the others are? Tell me!"  
  
The look in her eyes and the sound of her voice as she demanded to know where the others were almost made me tell her everything she wanted to know. Almost. "The less you know about the others, the better that way if anyone gets captured the others will still be safe."  
  
"But they're my family!"  
  
God Max, what I wouldn't give for us to all be together living normal lives free of fear of being dragged back to Manticore. "They're soldiers... And so are you. The only person you can rely on, Max, is yourself. Everything else is just a lie. It's phony sentimentality. And it will get you killed. Now, let's go."  
  
"No."  
  
"I'm not asking you, Max. I'm giving you an order."  
  
"What are you going to do, court-martial me?"  
  
"If you stay here, you risk tactical exposure or have you forgotten everything that they taught us?" Leave it to Max to make this complicated. The others had always done what I said probably cause I found them when they were still young and used to following orders. But Max had made a life for herself on her own for these past ten years.  
  
"Zack, I'm not leaving."  
  
"I can't be responsible for you if you won't listen. "  
  
"Zack, don't go. Please."  
  
"I have to." God she was beautiful. "They did a good job on you, Max. Turned out okay." Man was that the understatement of the century. It took everything in me to turn my back on her, but I did.  
  
"Zack!"  
  
I could hear the tears in her voice when she cried out my name and it halted me. Why was she making this so difficult? It has to be done. I have to walk away. But I thought I could at least try to convince her why one more time, so I turned around. Hearing the tears in her voice was one thing, but seeing them spill out of her eyes and run down her soft cheeks was another. I made her cry. It was my job to keep her out of harms way not be the one responsible for it. "Maxie." I heard my voice say in a soft tone I didn't know I was capable of.  
  
"I've searched for you for ten years. Ten years Zack! How can you just walk away from now? How can you just leave me?"  
  
"Maxie." A second later I was in front of her cupping her cheek, catching her tears in my palm.  
  
"Zack, please don't go. I need you."  
  
I couldn't do it when we were kids and I couldn't do it then. I could not deny Max of anything she wanted. "I won't go." This time when Max flung herself at me, I knew exactly what to do and I embraced her the way I had dreamed I would the moment I found her.  
  
AN: Okay well now we can start with the alternate universe part. Sorry, I know it just seemed like I was adding commentaries to "What's the 411" episode. But I promise from here on out, it will be original work. Well for the most part. Please R/R. 


	3. Moments of Weakness

Moments of Weakness  
  
It was a tense couple of days that followed. I was certain that Lydecker's men were going to swoop in on us at any moment. Max didn't seem too concerned. She went on with her daily routines like nothing had ever happened. I kept my identity as Sam and worked with her at Jam Pony during the day. Our plan was to scope out a few places to burglarize so we could have enough money to keep us going for a while when we finally left Seattle. By the end of the week we decided to take a detour from our usual nightly duty of robbery in order to rest up for the long trip ahead. We were leaving Seattle tomorrow afternoon.  
  
"Zack."  
  
"Yeah Max."  
  
"You promise you won't leave me once we're out of Seattle. You know I'll come right back here if you do." She said to me in a small voice that reminded me of the girl I grew up with.  
  
"Max." I sat up from my make shift bed on the floor next to her bed and looked at her. She was lying back with her hands behind her head staring at the ceiling. "You know how dangerous I think it is for us to stay together."  
  
She nodded without looking at me.  
  
"But I told you we'd try it."  
  
"That's all I ask."  
  
I lay back down trying to get some sleep. The makeshift bed wasn't all that comfortable but I didn't feel right about sleeping in Kendra's bed since she was out with some guy they called Mr. Multiples. It was so quiet. That was something that should have helped me get to sleep. But because it was so quiet, I could make out every little movement Max would make on her bed and the sound of her breathing. The fact that she was lying a few feet away from me, wearing only a thin tank top and boxer shorts that stopped about a foot above her knees, made sleep the last thing on my mind.  
  
Her breathing evened out and I assumed she had fallen asleep. It occurred to me then that I had never really seen Max asleep. She hadn't slept once this past week. When we were kids back at Manticore she hardly slept. Even when she'd climb into my cot, I always fell back asleep the moment after I moved over and her head hit my pillow. When I'd wake the next morning, she would always be back in her own cot.  
  
I slowly sat up and looked over at Max. Her eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling steadily. Okay so I've seen her sleep, now I should be able to go and do the same. But instead of lying back down, I crept over to the side of her bed and stared down at her face. My Maxie, a sleeping angel.  
  
"Can't sleep." I don't startle easy but I'm not going to lie she scared the shit out of me when she said that without opening her eyes.  
  
"No. I was just checking to see if you were really asleep." I said, thankful that my voice didn't convey what a fright she had given me.  
  
"You okay." She said after opening her eyes.  
  
"Fine." I said and quickly looked away before I got lost in those eyes again.  
  
"Do you want to come sleep with me?"  
  
My whole face should have split in half to accommodate how wide my eyes had gotten at her words. "Wh…what." I said. This time I did stutter.  
  
"Sleeping on the floor can't be that comfortable and my bed is certainly big enough for the two of us." She said in an innocent tone. "Come on, it'll be just like old times." Before I could tell her that it most certainly will not be like old times she started sliding over to make room for me.  
  
I tried to make myself tell her that I was alright and I'd actually prefer it on the floor but then I noticed I had already slipped under the covers beside her.  
  
"Much better right." At least I think that's what she had said. I was too busy staring down at her lovely face imagining what it would be like to twirl my finger around a lock of her hair.  
  
"Night Zack." She then leaned up and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek.  
  
"Night Max." I responded and leaned down to kiss her forehead. I'm usually very precise but for some reason I was off that night and instead of kissing her forehead, I found my lips touching hers.  
  
God they were so soft. So delicious. I had meant it to only be a peck, but I lingered much longer. It took everything in me to pull away. When I finally did, she was staring at me wide-eyed.  
  
Oh God what have I done. What did I just do? I ruined everything. Please please please don't make a big deal out of this. Don't start yelling or asking questions.  
  
And she didn't. She didn't say anything at all. Instead she did the last thing on earth I thought she would. She slowly brought her hand up to the side of my face and then eased it to the back of my head. She then guided me back down to her. This time when we kissed, there was only passion. It certainly was not like old times.  
  
Soon the kiss was not enough. We began to move our hands over each others bodies with such a fierce need. The joy I was feeling was indescribable. Max was giving herself to me. My Maxie. My angel. Tonight she was mine in a way I had only dreamed about. It was the most wonderful experience of my entire life. The rhythm we instantly fell into when we fought side by side was present. It was like we knew exactly where on each other to touch, kiss, and caress to drive each other wild. We were a perfect fit. And I knew from this moment on the sound of my name would always be bland compared to the way she had cried it out in ecstasy.  
  
Afterwards I held her in my arms and found that I still couldn't get to sleep. The feel of her warm breath against my chest and her soft body pressed against mine was no match for any dream or fantasy sleep would produce. So for the entire night I stayed awake, holding my Maxie, my angel, in my arms.  
  
We left Seattle the next day and headed east. I had a surprise for Max. A voice in the back of my brain kept telling me that I was being reckless. How many times had I chastised the others to be careful not to let their decisions be clouded by feeling and emotions? Yet here I was traveling with Max and even worse I was about to take her with me to see one of our sisters. But Max had brought out so many feelings in me I didn't know I was capable of. The first time we had made love she had become my weakness. Granted she had always been able to get over on me, but I'm certain that if we had never taken that next step, I would have eventually been able to walk away and convince her that it was for the best. Now I knew I couldn't. I needed her. She made me whole. I guess that was the main reason I was taking her to see our sister. It was my way of saying thank you. I knew how much Max wanted to find her "family." I could give her this. It was a small price considering how much she had given me. So I decided to ignore that nagging part of my brain that told me this was a mistake.  
  
As a precaution, I took an indirect route to the destination. So it took us a week to get to Nebraska. We pulled into a diner in Omaha for lunch. I still hadn't told Max who it was we were going to see so her face briefly flashed confusion upon returning from the ladies room and finding a waitress sitting at the table with me. When the waitress turned towards Max, the recognition was immediate.  
  
"Brin."  
  
"Max."  
  
They rushed to each other and embraced. I couldn't help but let a smile crack my usually stoic face. Yeah, this was definitely worth the risk.  
  
Brin spent the rest of her hour break at the table with us. She and Max were chatting excitedly about what they had each been up to these past ten years. But every once in a while, Brin would shoot me these questioning glances. I had a pretty good idea why Brin kept looking at me but I knew she wouldn't say anything in front of Max. That wasn't Brin's style. Syl would have said "so are you two fucking or what" probably about two minutes into the conversation. But Brin was more reserved.  
  
Brin got her chance to question me after the meal was over when Max went to the bathroom.  
  
"I don't understand, big brother, did Lydecker suddenly call off the search?"  
  
Ah yes. That's what all those looks were about. Brin was not only reserved but out of all the X5s she was the one who gave me the least trouble when it came to following orders. She always understood why we always had to keep moving, why it was dangerous for us to stay together, why it was even more dangerous for us to know each other's locations. She could care less if Max and I were sleeping together as long as it meant we only did it when my rounds of visiting the X5s brought me Max's way.  
  
"No Brin, Manticore is still after us."  
  
"Then why—"  
  
"It's complicated. But I've got everything under control."  
  
"But—"  
  
"Don't you trust me, Brin?"  
  
"Of course, Zack." I could see the war of conflicting emotions and questions going on in her eyes. But like always she yielded to my role as C.O. She nodded slightly showing me she trusted that I knew what I was doing.  
  
"So now what?" Max said when she came back to the table  
  
Brin stood up and hugged her. "It was so good seeing you, baby sister."  
  
"Wait we're leaving." Max said looking from Brin to me."  
  
I got up as well. "Sorry Maxie. But you know how dangerous it is for all of us to be in one place."  
  
Max nodded slowly and then hugged Brin again. "We'll see each other again. I know we will." Brin gave a small smile and nodded and with that Max and I left the diner.  
  
AN: I know it seemed like Max just bounced without mentioning O.C., Sketchy, or hello…LOGAN. But there is a method to my madness. There will be an explanation in the coming chapters so bear with me, please. Oh and please review. 


	4. The calm before the storm

The calm before the storm  
  
"Max, it's not safe."  
  
"Come on Zack, please. I'm sick of this car. Look there's a motel right there. Don't you want to lie down in a nice, comfortable bed?" She crept her fingers up my thigh and then kissed my neck before whispering in my ear. "Think of all the things we could do that we couldn't in that backseat."  
  
"Maaaax." That girl just made me whine. "You know it's not safe to stay in a motel with Brin just right around the corner. Soon as we get out of the state, we'll stop."  
  
"That'll take too long. Please."  
  
Oh no not the lip. She knew I couldn't resist her when she stuck out her bottom lip.  
  
"We'll rest of for a couple of hours and leave tonight. How 'bout that?" She continued, still pouting.  
  
"Fine." I said with a heavy sigh. Then she hit me with a double whammy by her face turning from that pout to the beautiful smile I'd give my ass and my hat to look at every minute of every day.  
  
An hour later I was back in heaven with my angel. It hadn't taken long for me to shut out the voice that warned me of another irresponsible decision I was currently making. Max helped by silencing it with her kisses and warm caresses. She was right. This was much better than the last couple of days in the backseat of the car we bought after selling our motorcycles. We made love in an almost frustratingly slow place, but I wanted to savior every kiss, every moan, every feeling. As slow as it was, I would have drawn it out a million times longer, if I had known that hours later my world was about to come crashing down.  
  
I had gone out for food while Max stayed in the room to take a bath. We agreed to leave in a couple of hours. I had just finish paying for the food when I looked outside and saw the first of a convoy of humvees drive by. I didn't turn and flee. I didn't begin nervously glancing around the restaurant. It was clear that this was not their destination and I didn't want to make anybody here suspicious of me. Once they had passed, I calmly walked outside to the car. Luckily they were headed the opposite way of the motel. I didn't want to think that could mean they already had Max.  
  
When I burst through the door, Max was no where in sight.  
  
"Max. Max."  
  
She came out of the bathroom a moment later. "What happened?" She obviously had taken stock of my frantic demeanor.  
  
"We've gotta get out of here now." I nearly yelled.  
  
Max turned and grabbed our bags. She tossed me one and then we were out the door.  
  
"I saw about four jeeps. They were heading further into the city."  
  
"Brin."  
  
"I know. We'll check the restaurant first. Hopefully they went looking for her where she lives first."  
  
We stashed the car and made our way on foot toward the restaurant. But we weren't in time. We both could see several yards away that four jeeps had surrounding the restaurant. My heart sank as a TAC leader emerged from the back carrying her limp body. She was alive, but heavily sedated. Apparently she had made it as far as the woods before they shot her with a tranq gun.  
  
I signaled to Max for us to escape and evade. We drove in silence for the next several hours. How had they found her? That question kept going through my head. The only thing I could come up with was that they had been on to her for awhile without her realizing it? This was exactly why it was so dangerous for all of us to be together. If we had arrived in Nebraska a few hours later, Max and I would be going back to Manticore with Brin.  
  
"I'm going to get her out." Max's voice cut through the silence. Her words made me almost veer into oncoming traffic.  
  
"What!"  
  
"You heard me, Zack. I'm going to get her out."  
  
"She's gone, Max."  
  
"So, we're just going to let Lydecker have her? " I could tell by her words that she was starting to get very angry.  
  
"You want us to go after her and give him a shot at a hat trick? Think about what you're saying, Max." My voice was starting to rise as well.  
  
"We can't just do nothing." She nearly shouted.  
  
"We're not going to breach op-sec for some half-assed rescue attempt" I said hoping by calming my voice down she would do the same.  
  
"It doesn't have to be half-assed. It could be sure-fire."  
  
"What are you taking about?"  
  
"We can get Brin back…if we got the others to help"  
  
This time I did veer into the other lane. Luckily the roads were empty. "Are you nuts?"  
  
"It could work Zack. The eleven of us working together could rival any army and you know it. This is what we were designed for. And who better to show that to than the people who created us in the first place. Please, Zack. We can do it. Just contact them."  
  
It was crazy, ludicrous, the most ridiculous idea in the world. Go back to Manticore. We spent ten years of our lives running and hiding from that place and she wants us to go back. Crazy. I knew I shouldn't have but I looked over at her. She didn't say anything else, she just let her eyes do the pleading.  
  
I couldn't do it when we were kids and I couldn't do it now. I could not say no to Max. That was my only thought as I scanned the faces of the eleven '09 escapees. When I told them about Brin and Max's idea for us to go and get her back, they had all been eager to join in. I wasn't surprised. We were soldiers, after all. The idea of a mission after being idle for so long was a welcoming proposition. We were really gonna do this. We fell back into our old roles immediately. It was almost like we never left Manticore. Being that we were all paranoid, each one of us came equipped with a small arsenal. It saved us the trouble of having to first find people that sold weapons and then come up with the money to buy them. Tinga quickly drew a map while we each contributed details of the base from memory. We knew it wouldn't be entirely accurate, but it helped to have it in front of us while planning our assault. The only piece of information we needed to be accurate was the location of the control room. If Krit and Lex could get their hands on a couple of computers there, the rest of the operation would be cake. They could loop all the cameras, shut off security locks, and locate exactly where Brin was in a matter of minutes. The second unit could slip in, get Brin, and be out with little notice. I continued to ignore that familiar voice saying it was suicide to go with a plan based on so many ifs. Max must have read my hesitation cause at that moment she placed her hand over mine and gave me a reassuring smile. That was all I needed.  
  
We traveled in a caravan of cars and motorcycles to just outside of Wyoming and then stashed them in different locations. Once we got Brin back we'd have to scatter right away. We'd take two vans into Wyoming. We painted murals on both of them and put old couch cushions and sleeping bags on the inside along with other various decorations on the wall. We wanted to make it look like we were just some college kids on a cross country road trip. The cushions and sleeping bags were also a great place to hide our weapons should we get pulled over.  
  
We made it to just inside Wyoming, when Zane slowed to almost a complete stop.  
  
"There's a road block, ahead. What do you think?"  
  
"No, it looks like an accident. I see a couple of ambulances. Must have been pretty bad." Ben said from the seat next to Zane.  
  
"Is traffic still moving?" I asked.  
  
"Ummm…I see a couple of cars on the side of the road. Wait there is a guy directing traffic to pass through."  
  
"Let's keep moving then." I said.  
  
There was an over turned car on one side of the road and a few cars lined up on the other side. A few people were standing around those cars. In the middle of the road, there were four ambulances and two police cars.  
  
"Awful lot of ambulances for one turned over car." Jondy stated.  
  
I found that odd too, but before I could ponder it further, the man directing traffic gave us the halt sign. He and another officer walked towards our van. The other officer kept walking, presumably to the other van, while the first officer stopped in front of Zane's window.  
  
"Is there a problem, officer?"  
  
"Sir, I'm going to need you and your companions to step out of the van." I saw Zane look briefly up at me to see what he should do.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"We're in search of a pair of kidnappers, male and female. They took a child from a nearby hospital. We just want to check out the occupants in these two vans and then you can be on your way."  
  
I nodded when Zane looked my way again. We all filed out of the van and upon doing so everybody in the van behind us did the same. We did a good job of hiding our weapons so I wasn't worried that they would find them during a cursory search. Just then two of the ambulances started leaving but then I noticed they stopped right behind our vans.  
  
A feeling of dread began forming in the pit of my stomach. Why do I suddenly feel like we're being surrounded? The moment that thought formed in my head, several armed soldiers filed out of each of the ambulances at the same time the people on the side of the road took out weapons as well. I felt the wind suddenly shift and then watched in horror as Zane suddenly dropped beside me. When I looked up Tinga, Ben, Jondy, Krit, and Syl were all dropping as well. I felt a pain in my leg but that didn't stop me from trying to get back into the van. I saw Ked and Thad doing the same. But the van suddenly dropped several inches as the tires were blown out. All of a sudden, my reflexes were getting slower and I found it hard to even stand. Max. That was my one thought as darkness started to invade my vision. A moment later, the ground rushed up at me. But I wouldn't close my eyes until I saw where Max was. And then all of a sudden she was there, standing over me. I dreaded to look up into her eyes. I knew I'd see fear and probably disappointment in me for failing and letting them get us. How did they get us? But I had to look to at her. Who knew the next time I would see those beautiful eyes again? I looked up and she was staring down at me. But there was no fear in her eyes or disappointment. In fact her eyes were oddly blank. Not even a hint of surprise at the whole situation. It was almost like she knew what—  
  
"452!" I heard someone bark behind her. Immediately Max turned away from me.  
  
"Sir!" She answered and snapped to attention and gave a salute.  
  
"Good work 452. Mission accomplished."  
  
"Thank you, sir. Has Lydecker sent instructions regarding my return to Manticore?  
  
"Yes. You will meet with him in his office for debriefing immediately upon arrival."  
  
"Very well, Sir." I heard her answer. My heart was beating so rapidly and my mind was reeling at what had just transpired. The drugs couldn't compete and I felt my strength returning. I tried to get up.  
  
"This one here's still feisty." The TAC leader said once he noticed my attempts to sit upright. "Care to do the honors, 452."  
  
She answered by taking the gun he offered and pointing it at me. I felt the dart hit my chest and I looked up at her. The sun was setting behind her and for a moment it looked like her whole body was glowing. At that moment a light breeze lifted her hair. It's amazing; she still looks like an angel.  
  
Then there was darkness. 


	5. Max's POV

Max's POV  
  
It had almost been too easy. I had been on many missions prior to this one and despite the nature of this mission and the length of time it took to execute; I could name several other missions that were a lot more challenging than this one.  
  
After a couple of TAC leaders pulled me from the icy waters the night of the escape, I had been depressed for several weeks. My 'family' was gone. They had left me there to suffer the consequences of the escape. Looking back on those months of torture and psychological evaluations, I realize that it was for my own good. What was I thinking agreeing to leave Manticore? I'm more grateful than anyone would ever know that the ice broke under me that night.  
  
It took years to regain their trusts. My first fifteen missions were blatantly supervised and the fifteen after that were supervised in secret. Well at least that's what they thought. But I never failed once or hesitated to come back to Manticore. This was my home. Finally I was trusted to do missions on my own. My success with those catapulted my status at Manticore. Lydecker became more and more pleased with my work. It wasn't long before I made C.O., then C.O with privileged status, then C.O. with elite status. I got my own private quarters and the first choice in selecting missions and I could delegate the others, keeping the rest of the X series forever on my good side.  
  
I guess my ability to accurately read other people and my ease at assimilating to different situations made me so successful on missions. I could be the perfect best friend to the daughter of a senator I was sent to spy on. I had sons of uncooperative business partners I was to assassinate dying to introduce the refined debutante that was me to their parents. Lydecker recognized my skills and finally put them to use to help with a problem that had been plaguing him ever since the escape.  
  
I'll never forget when he called me into his office two years ago. When he asked me for my suggestions on how to locate the rogue X5s I almost laughed first and then said it's about time. But I didn't give in to such insubordination. I had grown up with 09 escapees for the first ten years of my life and I had been in on the escape itself. It was a no brainer that I was privy to information Lydecker and company was not. For one thing Zack had made us split up without giving a rendezvous point. Well he couldn't really because at the time we had no idea what was out there. Since we had split up that night, it stood to reason that anybody who got out would have no idea who else had made it out. I knew Zack would be the key to finding all the X5s. I knew him better than anybody. I knew as a C.O. he wouldn't just dump us out into the world and give up his responsibility. He would spend his entire life looking for all those who had escaped if he had to. I knew once he found everyone he'd probably set up some kind of contact number so they could always keep in touch with him. The solution was simple. Send me out there and let me pretend I had made it out.  
  
Much to Lydecker's chagrin, I found Zack four months after setting up my identity on the outside. That part had been easy; keeping up with him was not. The steps he took to avoid a trail when visiting his fellow rogues were both clever and elaborate. It would take forever if I tried to just follow him and hope he would eventually lead me to all of them. I decided to set up in Seattle because his most frequent route tended to lead him through Washington. So my plan was to just let him come to me. It took longer than I had hoped for him to do just that which is why we had to bait him with the ad in the paper.  
  
Volgesang was a Manticore operative that was posing as the private investigator I hired in search for my 'family.' I knew Zack would kill him in order to "protect" me but that was the main reason Volgesang had been assigned to this particular mission. His gambling habits were getting a bit out of hand and Manticore had been looking for a way to get rid of him for a long time.  
  
Everything prior to finally coming face to face with Zack had been hard. Once I had met Zack the mission became annoyingly easy. When I told Lydecker that Zack was with me, he of course wanted to come in guns blazing and take Zack back to Manticore right then and there. Sometimes I wonder how he got to head this project when it was so clear that he never learned his lesson. He wanted to take Zack back to Manticore and torture him for the information on the whereabouts of the other X5s. Like that would actually work. Luckily I convinced the Colonel that Zack would never give up their locations no matter what we did to him. I assured him that it would be better if I could gain Zack's trust and then let him tell me where the others were.  
  
I knew my way in immediately when I saw how Zack had looked at me that night on the train tracks. He was in love with me. It wasn't blatantly obvious but I knew how to read people, even hard nose soldiers, and I knew how much he cared about me when we were kids at Manticore. His feelings were plain as day to me. So I softened my voice, called up my tears, and made him see how much it would hurt me if he left me. He bought it. Hook, line, and sinker.  
  
Inviting him into my bed had been the next logical step. I knew back at Manticore we had this crazy notion that we were brothers and sisters. And although it was obvious that Zack didn't look at me like a sister, I knew he would never do anything if he thought that I still saw us as siblings. It would take so much longer to gain his trust if he made himself think of me as a sister. He'd have to keep building up walls and I needed Zack's defense system completely down. So I let him have me. I had always hated when I had to sleep with men and even a couple of women for a mission. But with Zack it was surprisingly good. Actually good is an understatement. Not being with him anymore is my one regret. But I can probably talk to Lincoln, the head of the reproduction department, and see if he can hook it up so me and Zack can be breeding partners once he's reindoctrinated.  
  
After I knew I had Zack's complete trust, I figured he'd let me see one of the others and that was really all I needed. When I went to the ladies room of that diner to memo a message on my palm pilot that I found Brin, Lydecker was ecstatic. I could tell he wasn't sure that I could convince Zack to lead a strike against Manticore with the others. But I knew he would concede anyway. I had gotten this far, right.  
  
When Manticore took Brin I could see the gears in Zack's head turning. He probably blamed her. Thinking she had gotten careless and that's why she got caught. But I also knew no matter how much he blamed her, he would still blame himself more. He pretended but in reality it hadn't been too hard to sell him on the idea of going after Brin.  
  
Yes this mission wasn't much of a challenge but the rewards were going to be much greater than any I had received thus far. I had single- handedly rectified a situation that had cost Manticore millions of dollars over these past ten years. With the X5 2009 escape dilemma over and done with, Manticore could move on to stage three. And it was all thanks to me.  
  
  
  
AN: So what did you guys think? This was just an idea that came to me one day and I just had to get it out. I hope I surprised everybody because that was my main intention. I hope you liked it. 


End file.
